In this episode of NTV Kenya's Fixing The Nation, I joined Mariam Bishar, Eric Latiff and Fellaris Wambui to unpack Kenya’s growing debate around minimum fares for ride hailing.

The discussion was focussed on the Business Daily's headline on Uber and Bolt drivers potentially getting more power in how fares are set, as well as broader proposed reforms that could bring ride-hailing platforms under greater regulatory scrutiny.

We discussed what this means for drivers, passengers, platforms, businesses, regulators, competition policy, and Kenya’s wider gig economy.

At the heart of the conversation was one question:

How does Kenya improve driver earnings without pricing passengers out of digital mobility or weakening the ecosystem that makes ride-hailing possible?

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction: Business Daily headline and the digital taxi fare debate

01:20 – Moses Kemibaro joins Fixing The Nation

02:30 – How ride-hailing platforms work and why the issue matters

03:32 – From traditional taxis to digital ride-hailing in Kenya

05:38 – Market scale: drivers, users, rides and the gig economy

06:52 – Owner-drivers versus rental drivers

08:13 – Are driver complaints justified?

10:26 – Understanding the 18% commission discussion

11:57 – Platform value: marketplace, trust, safety and digital payments

13:40 – Tanzania as a cautionary case

14:28 – Passenger affordability and price sensitivity

16:34 – Why smart regulation must balance all stakeholders

18:14 – Where did the “doubling fares” idea come from?

20:18 – Viewer comments and subscription model proposals

21:01 – Competition risks if pricing is over-regulated

22:21 – Price elasticity: what happens if fares double?

24:08 – Passenger willingness-to-pay thought experiment

26:11 – Draft minimum compensation rules and the missing passenger voice

29:20 – Driver welfare, classification and platform responsibility

30:22 – Financing, insurance and formalizing the gig economy

33:05 – The platform as a marketplace creator

35:08 – Kenya’s ride-hailing market versus Nigeria and South Africa

37:19 – Could electric mobility reduce driver operating costs?

38:49 – Higher fares and higher consumer expectations

40:13 – Viewer comments on commissions and platform costs

42:53 – Final thoughts: broader consultation and a balanced way forward

Key Themes

1. Minimum fares versus minimum driver earnings
2. Driver welfare and platform work
3. Passenger affordability
4. Commission transparency
5. Owner-driver versus rental-driver economics
6. Competition and platform regulation
7. Smart regulation for Kenya’s gig economy
8. The long-term future of ride-hailing in Kenya

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